


Healing a Broken Heart

by lemonsandstrawberries



Series: Figaro series [5]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Sad with a Happy Ending, Superfamily, Superfamily (Marvel), tw: grief after losing a pet, tw: pet loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-17 22:59:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21517852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemonsandstrawberries/pseuds/lemonsandstrawberries
Summary: Since Stella showed in their home, everyone hoped for things to turn for the better and it seems to work, but Tony ends feeling left out, not able to move on. fic continues from my Figaro universe (meaning, Tony and Steve taking in a stray cat and naming him Figaro) and goes into Stella universe (a cat that was adopted after Figaro passed away due to old age) and Superfamily (Tony and Steve being adoptive parents to Peter Parker)
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Figaro series [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1550938
Kudos: 28





	Healing a Broken Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Stella was brought to life after I lost a second cat this year and I put my feelings and healing process into this fic and my sadness and grief into _Goodbye Figaro_ , which you can find in my profile, so those two fics are connected, but can be also read separately, without prior knowledge of the mentioned fic, all you need to know is that Tony lost his cat and is grieving. hope you like it and that this fic will be comforting for those of you who lost a pet ❤.

It had been already an hour since Tony woke up. The bedroom was comfortably dark, the covers were warm and pleasantly heavy, and Steve was sleeping next to him, breathing slow and deep. Usually, it would be soothing and enough to guide Tony into the dreamland, instead he was wide awake and watched minutes pass on the alarm clock, that began to mock him, shining with 3 am in digital numbers.

The reason was clear to him and even if he gave himself plenty of time, he thought he was doing better. He always managed during the day, having things to keep his mind occupied, but it kept coming back during nights when his thoughts slowed down and the truth was hitting him harder and harder with each memory.

He missed Figaro. He missed his cat so, so much his chest felt tight and painful whenever he thought about him. They said that time was healing wounds, but the pain was still too fresh, pulsating in his body. The bed felt too big and too empty without his cat taking half of his pillow.

There was no point to linger in bed and Tony, as quietly as he could, slid out of the bed, wrapping Steve in the covers. His husband looked calm and content and held together better than he did, but Tony knew it was just a guise - someone had to be strong for him and Peter. Maybe Steve didn't have this special connection Tony and Figaro had, but they loved each other in their own way and Tony still saw Steve putting aside raw bacon during preparing breakfast, waiting for Figaro to claw up his leg and loudly demand a portion, just to be reminded that those moments won't repeat ever again. From the whole family, it seemed that Peter was doing the best and there was a very good reason for that.

Stella. The gray, adult and blind cat Peter had chosen from the shelter to be a part of their family and help them heal after losing Figaro. She was a special lady, for sure, and Tony was well aware that she won't ever replace Figaro, but he wanted to give Stella all the love she deserved. Colorful toys, good quality cat food, plenty of cat beds for sleeping. Feeling welcomed, Stella became bolder and graciously roamed through the floor, her disability not stopping her in any way, her whiskers being enough to keep her safe. Thanks to good food, the short fur on her became fluffier and from dull grey changed to almost silver, black stripes stretching in delicate lines all over her body. Whoever thought of naming her Stella did a great job - it was a fitting name for a cat who looked like bathed in starlight.

Having a cat in the house again was wonderful. Peter seemed the most excited, quickly befriending Stella, and the feeling was mutual and the cat was the most at ease around Peter. Steve also found a way to bond with the older lady, similar to the way how he did with Figaro - while Stella was not a fan of raw bacon, probably because of not having all teeth and bacon being too chewy in texture, she really enjoyed chicken and Steve happily steamed some tasty morsels and gave her shredded pieces whenever Stella and him met in the kitchen. Tony observed all of it, happy for his family being at ease and giving Stella plenty of time and space to warm up to him. He petted her, talked to her, gave her snacks. Tony knew that Stella wasn't his Figaro and that she won't ever replace him and he didn't expect that, but still, he was only a human, a one who was suffering from loss and he did feel a little wounded by Stella's lack of affection towards him. She didn't come out to greet him, didn't try to sneak into his lap whenever he was sitting down, didn't sleep in his and Steve's bed. Stella was an adult cat - she came with her own set of behaviors and habits, unlike Figaro who was with them since he was a kitten and grew up, spoiled and surrounded by love. Out of curiosity, Tony had checked Stella's shelter record, and it was sad, yet expected, to read that she had waited for a long time to find a new home after her previous owner died and no one took interest in the adult, blind cat. He decided to be patient and let Stella know that she wasn't going anywhere and that she was a part of the family, and while he saw Stella acting less nervous, she wasn't the cuddly, always following him cat Figaro was. Maybe she never would be. Maybe there would be always this distance between them and there wasn't anything wrong with that or meant that Stella was unhappy in her new home and didn't have any warm feelings towards her new family - it was just the way she was.

Tony walked quietly into the kitchen, just needing to fill the void in his heart and see some cat. Stella had a few napping spots and one of them was on the chair in the kitchen, first, curled into a little ball, and with time, she started to stretch, taking two chairs, showing that she felt safe. Tony crouched down and felt some tension melting away, spotting Stella spread on the chairs, her paws outstretched. With Figaro, he would grab him and take the cat to the bedroom, placing on the pillow next to him, but he and Stella were not there yet. Tony waited for the day Stella would willingly come to him, but it might take a while before that.

Sensing that she wasn't alone anymore, Stella's eyes opened and she raised her head, looking startled. She had a very light sleep, still wary of her surroundings.

"Hey, it's ok, girl," Tony murmured, feeling sorry for wakening her up to fill his selfish needs. He reached his hand closer in a slow movement, giving Stella time to prepare. "It is me."

Stella didn't move away, which was a good sign. On the opposite, she gently pushed her head into Tony's fingers and Tony scratched her cheek, reading the quiet signal correctly. Soon, some soft, melodic purring vibrated from her throat and the tight feeling in Tony's chest started to loosen up.

"Sorry that I scared you," Tony apologized, enjoying the rare moment of closeness. He watched Stella leaning her head down, pushing his fingers lower, happy and content. Tony genuinely wished he could just carry her with him and hold in his arms for comfort, but it should be something Stella would initiate. "I will let you go back to sleep," Tony said when from comforting the moment changed into longing again. "Goodnight," last stroke and Tony stood up, doing a quick if Stella's bowls had clean water and watered-down milk, serving as a treat. While most adult cats were lactose intolerant, milk didn't give Stella tummy problems and she enjoyed the taste. Figaro also liked milk, but opposite to Stella, he didn't tolerate lactose, which was pretty hilarious, because Steve also didn't - while Steve's intolerance to lactose was common knowledge, Tony painfully found out about Fig not tolerating milk during one night when Steve had binged on ice cream and Figaro on milk, and Tony had been stuck between his farting husband and a farting cat. It was a happy memory and it made Tony smile sadly. He quietly left the kitchen and didn't make it far, stopping to sit on the couch in the living room. Rubbing his tired face, Tony tried to collect his thoughts. He knew that he won't be able to go back to sleep and maybe he could turn the TV on and let some night reruns occupy his mind.

Soon, he sensed that he wasn't alone.

"Oh, hi," Tony said, not knowing when Stella had appeared next to him on the couch. With soft steps, she came closer to Tony, rubbing her head over his arm in an invitation to scratch her. Seemed fair, after all, Tony had woken her up.

"You can't sleep now too, huh?" Tony asked and put Stella in his lap, petting her until the cat settled down, purring a low, comforting note, and tucking paws under herself, looking like a silver loaf of bread. The thing with Stella was that she wasn't the most affectionate cat. She had her moments when she wanted to be petted and appreciated companionship, but most of the time seemed content with being left in peace, napping the whole days. Tony knew, that once she would get enough of the affection, she would move away and retreat to the kitchen for some more alone time.

Minutes were passing and Stella didn't move. With time, she curled in his lap and put her beautiful head in the crook of Tony's arm, still purring and becoming a warm, comforting weight. It was so soothing and Tony felt more and more sleepy, but he didn't want to end the moment, and very, very slowly, slid down the couch, laying on his back, Stella nestled on his stomach in a comfortable position. It was the longest he had ever held Stella and Tony's bare feet started to get cold, the couch wasn't the most comfortable to sleep on, but if Stella decided to stay in his lap, Tony didn't want to disturb her. So, he stayed, petting and petting, and listening to the soft purring and being comforted by it, until his hand stopped moving and slumped down, his body giving up to the much needed sleep.

When Steve woke up, he was alarmed with not seeing Tony next to him, but a quick trip to the living room, made all his doubts go away. On the couch, on his back, Tony was snoring softly, Stella curled on his stomach, deep asleep. Steve took a blanket from the couch's back and covered Tony's legs with it, careful to not disturb either of them. It was a very heartwarming scene and Steve even debated wakening Peter up and share the moment, but instead he took a photo on his phone and went back to the bedroom, smiling to himself and feeling that even if Stella won't ever replace Figaro, she would be able to heal Tony's broken heart and Tony would do the same for her.

**Author's Note:**

> this fic doesn’t mean an end of Figaro fics (in fact, new Figaro drabble will appear later this week), and I am not sure if I will write more drabbles with Stella, I guess we will see. for those of you who think of getting a pet but don’t want to suffer when the time comes to say goodbye, I promise you, the happy moments outweigh the last sad moments. and giving a pet a place in your house and heart is always very special and the love you get in return is amazing and one of a kind!


End file.
